


Back in the Picture

by adubbs47



Series: Sleep Over Universe [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Abandonment, Angst, F/M, Felicity starts acting strange, Felicity's father is mentioned, Oliver begins to worry, Prompt Fic, Sleep Over Universe, Supportive Oliver, established olicity, partners
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-26
Updated: 2015-05-16
Packaged: 2018-03-25 19:32:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3822169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adubbs47/pseuds/adubbs47
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oliver thinks something is wrong with Felicity after she leaves the foundry one night. When she finally tells him what's wrong, he finds himself becoming very protective.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous asked: established olicity Oliver thinks something is wrong with felicity she doesn't want to talk she discovered her father has a wife and kid she doesn't understand why he didn't love her enough to stay
> 
> Part 3 of the Sleep Over Universe. 
> 
> Thank you all for continuing to read these little one shots and short stories. I'm very grateful to each of you!

Two weeks.

It had been two blissful weeks since Felicity and Oliver consummated their new relationship in every room of Felicity’s home. It had been two weeks since Thea had barged in and formed demanded ‘shared custody’ of Felicity now that he was in a relationship with her. 

It had been two weeks since they had the relationship talk, which to their credit, was brief once they actually began talking. Their two main focal points had been Oliver’s identity crisis and, in some ways, Felicity’s abandonment concerns. After talking about them, though, neither played as large a role as they had in the past, but were still relevant enough to put on the table. Oliver felt better for it.

It had been ten days since he had called Felicity his ‘girlfriend’ in front of Diggle. Nine since Diggle threatened to disembowel Oliver should he ever hurt Felicity.

It had been one week since Felicity caught Oliver picking the lock to her apartment instead of knocking. His defense had been his want to surprise her with dinner. 

It had been six days since Felicity covertly placed a key to her apartment on his key ring, giving him a subtle wink when he finally noticed the new key two hours later.

It had been twenty four hours since Felicity excused herself from the lair before sending Oliver a text message stating she was ‘tired’ and was hoping for the night to herself to ‘relax.’

While he was unsettled by her rushed departure and short text message, he wanted to respect her need for space. After a quick phone call, she assured him she was fine. He offered his support, before she told him to finish suiting up. 

He only asked Diggle every ten minutes if he had heard from Felicity, which was better than how often he thought about her leaving him a message, which rounded out to an even two minutes.

Something had unsettled her and sent her seeking the refuge of her quiet apartment, alone. She hadn’t said as much but he knew deep in his gut that something was wrong.

He had been spending the majority of his nights, and days, with her making him a consistent fixture of her home. If he was going to be leaving the lair after her, she would always tell him she would leave the light on for him. She also almost always promised to have a very special surprise waiting for him as well.

Thea joked that they were on their way to becoming an old married couple quicker than either thought. They were already finishing each other’s sentences and practically living together.

He had wanted to push, wanted to go to her apartment and check on her. He wanted to show her that he could be there for her when something was bothering her. They were partners in every sense of the word.

But he waited. 

He waited twenty three hours and ten minutes for her to call, her voice laden with tears. She hadn’t even gotten the words out before he was pulling on his jacket and moving out the door. He waited for her to be ready, and now she was. Now she was ready to admit she needed him.

He stayed on the line with her the entire drive, switching the to bluetooth head set affixed in his helmet. Felicity’s words were mumbled together, her tears volleying back and forth between quiet murmurs and heart aching crescendos. The cause of her current state, still a mystery. 

So when Oliver arrived at her door he still wasn’t sure what he was walking into. Placing the curved, brass key in the lock, he wasted no time before unlocking the door and stepping over the threshold. The feeling of anxiety weighted heavily in his stomach, but it now was accompanied by relief.

She was right there, crumpled up tissues in one hand while the other gripped the doorway to the kitchen. Felicity did not seem to have any physical injuries and did not appear sick, aside from the red rims beneath her eyes, and around her nose, while tear track marked her cheeks.

He had never seen her look so fragile before. So small.

When he pictured Felicity he saw a woman full of energy and life and wisdom. Someone who had strength as tough as iron, unbreakable like a diamond. Her goodness only emphasized by her fair and just nature. 

He had seen Felicity cry before, waver in her strength, but this was a complete absence from the woman who stood toe to toe with villains, who hacked into numerous federal, state, and local databases, and who had Starling (and Central) City’s multiple heroes wrapped around her little finger.

“Hey,” her voice broke on the singular word.

Taking two, large strides he found himself pulling her into his arms and letting her collapse against his chest. Her delicate hands wrapped around the lapels of his jacket, pulling him tight against her. It was as if she were trying to crawl inside of him, get as close to him as possible before she had to let him go.

“What happened?” Oliver murmured, his lips against her hair. He felt her shake her head beneath his lips and his heart clenched.

Her hair was loose from the normal ponytail, pulled straight from the amount of times she must have dragged her fingers through it, he imagined. He felt her relax against him as he let his hands trace soothing circles along her back and arms. Whatever happened, he only wanted to comfort her and make it better.

The sound of the high pitched whistle from the old, red tea kettle sounded out behind them, demanding attention. Felicity pulled herself away from his chest, bringing a hand up to her hairline as she did. He could see her shake herself out of the safe haven of his arms before turning wordlessly towards the kitchen.

Oliver watched her go, an icy cool sensation settling over his chest now that he was through the door and saw with his own eyes that she was ok. Well, ok as in not physically injured.

But now that he saw her, relieved no harm had come to her, the gripping anxiety was back. The worry that something greater had happened to her, and he wouldn’t be able to fix it. 

Should he have called John on his way over? Did she need her ‘brother’ as well?

“Thank you.” Her voice didn’t break this time as she spoke. With a small, tentative smile she handed him a steeping, hot mug. “I wanted to call you sooner, but I needed … I needed to figure some things out.”

Oliver nodded, stooping just enough so he could meet her eyes. They looked so sad, so hurt. He just wanted to pull her back into the safety of his embrace for a little while longer. He wanted to fight away whatever demons were haunting her.

That was what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to be her hero.

“I’m here now,” he said in return, encouraging her with a hesitant smile of his own. “Do you want to sit?”

She nodded, her eyes closed, her free arm circling around to hold onto her abdomen. She was closing herself off, trying to protect herself. He knew enough about body language to know that.

When they made it to the couch he realized her living room floor was covered in computer printouts and photographs while the screen of her home laptop was opened to a random facebook page. The picture he could make out was a brunette teenage girl with aviator sunglasses in a cheerleading uniform.

Her tablet sat beside her on the couch, asleep from inactivity. Whatever was the purpose of this information seemed to be the cause of her state, he realized.

The way she angled her body away from the floor, keeping her tablet behind her and out of site, was as if the visual of her work caused her physical pain.

She curled her legs beneath her and sat so she was facing him, but kept her eyes focused on the fabric of the couch.

He took a shaky breath into his lungs, gazing at her lowered head before speaking. “Felicity.” He paused. “You’re scaring me.”

Her words were quick and heavy with fresh tears. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey,” he tried, reaching for her mug of untouched tea. He moved both her mug and his to the side table behind him before shifting closer to her. “Don’t be sorry.”

She nodded, but did not raise her eyes.

“I want to help you.” His voice was soft, as if he were afraid it would spook her away.

Oliver brought a hand up to her chin, letting his fingers merely graze against her skin before cupping her cheek. “If you don’t want to talk, we don’t have to. I can sit here and hold you as long as you want.”

His words seemed to shake her from her trance, causing her to raise her head and finally meet his eyes. She didn’t try to smile, not even a fake one, for which he was grateful.

Felicity was always the strong one, but right now, he could be strong for her.

“Thank you. I love you so much for that, and for not pushing,” she told him while she reached for both his hands, holding them tight with her own. “I got a phone call.”

“Yesterday?” He asked, eliciting a nod from Felicity.

“The voice was so familiar, like something I had heard countless times before in my memories.” She only broke eye contact to drag her eyes over the papers littering the floor. 

He shifted when she dragged a haggard breath through her pale pink lips and turned back to face him. “My dad called me yesterday, out of the blue, like it was a regular thing.”

He was sure for most couples, the idea of a father calling his daughter wouldn’t be a big deal. It would probably be something, in another life, he would have rolled his eyes about, maybe uttered an ‘oh great.’ Dads didn’t like him, as Captain Lance could attest. He was sure Felicity’s father would have been no different.

But this wasn’t another life and they weren’t any other couple. The idea of Felicity’s father reaching out was something that caused an itch to spread beneath his skin. It was the same itch he got when he was donning his hood at night. It was the urge to fight and to protect. It was the desire to keep those he loved safe.

The man had walked out on the woman Oliver loved most. While he once told Felicity he was grateful for her experiences, the dark parts of her that helped shape her into the force of a woman before him, he never meant he had to like that it happened.

“I was sitting in the foundry one minute, watching you doing your shirtless target practice, and bickering with John, and the next minute my dad completely upends my life.”

“Did he say what he wanted?” Oliver asked, keeping his voice steady and his tone as non-threatening as possible. “Or even how he found you?”

Felicity had moved a bit since her father had been in her life. She had spent ample time at MIT before skipping over her home in Las Vegas to take refuge in Starling City. That in combination with the amount of years between them made Oliver question so many things about this call.

“I’m VP of a multimillion dollar tech company, Oliver, I’m not that hard to Google.” He heard the sarcasm in her voice and saw the trace of a smile on her lips. “He told me that he was going to be in town and wanted to see me.”

He saw the fear in her eyes, the way they pleaded with him in question.

“I haven’t seen the man in eighteen years, and suddenly now he wants to go and get a cup of coffee?” Felicity huffed, a twinge of irritation lacing her voice. “The time to reach out was when I graduated high school or started college. Hell, he could have just not left.”

Oliver squeezed her hands in his, giving her encouragement.

“Why now? Things are good.” Felicity told him earnestly. “I’m not fighting with my mom, you and I are practically living together, and both of my jobs are beyond successful.”

“Can I go with you?” He asked after a pause. He watched as her eyes turned from frustration to relief at his offer, but he still doubted himself. 

Meeting your girlfriend’s father, estranged or not, wasn’t something you just sprung on someone. He didn’t even know if Felicity really wanted him there. “I can sit in the car if you want to go in alone.”

“No.” She jumped forward. “I want you there. I was going to ask, but you read my mind.”

He felt a smile begin to form, but pushed forward and placed a gentle kiss against her lips. His hands came up to pull her closer. Their foreheads rested against one another, taking comfort in their shared space.

“So what is all this?” He asked, pulling away only slightly. Her floor was still littered with papers, research he assumed.

Felicity sighed before moving so she was curled against his side, not wanting to break contact with him.

“It’s all the information I could find on him.” She spoke in a soft tone, mournful as she told him. “Nothing shady about his finances, so I guess he’s not reaching out for money.”

He squeezed her shoulder at the thought. He hated that that was even an option for her, but he had thought it too.

“How come you’ve never looked for him before?” The question was a weighted one. It was also one they had never discussed, but he often wondered. 

With her expertise, it should have been no problem to find out what happened to the man she called her father. 

“He left. My mom was, my mom, but she was all that I needed,” she paused, letting her eyes drift over the laptop in front of her. “He uh, he has a family. One wife, two kids, golden retriever, and a white picket fence. I’m actually not sure about the fence.”

Oliver felt his heart plummet for her.

“It’s like he traded my mom and me in for a whole new family. Like we were some used car he picked up in Vegas that he couldn’t wait to be rid of.” He heard the tears rear back up, felt the soft splash of one against the skin of his neck. 

“You are anything but a used car,” he choked on the words. “You are perfect. You are smart and kind, and a hero, Felicity Smoak.” 

His love for Felicity aside, he had met her mother. Donna Smoak was just as vibrant and energetic as her daughter. While very different from each other, he could see where Felicity got her fire and her strength from.

Anyone willing to trade in the Smoak women, was someone he had no respect for.

“The oldest kid, a boy … my brother.” She continued with a humorless laugh, holding onto him tighter. “He’s eight years younger than me, captain of his soccer team, and has bright prospects of getting into Harvard or Princeton. Any Ivy League school, really.” He felt her tense. “He’s smart. No wonder my dad wanted that family. Athletic, normal, smart. Everything that mom and I weren’t.”

“So what if he has prospects at Ivy League schools? So did I and look how that turned out. Athletic, smart, and normal? Really? I’d take you over a kid who could play soccer any day.” Oliver felt his protective nature kick into overdrive. “You graduated with a Master’s degree from MIT at nineteen. Kid doesn’t even sound like he could run circles around you.”

“Run circles around me?” For the first time in twenty four hours he heard her laugh. “I never said he was smarter than me. That’s just ludicrous. I’m a genius.”

There she was. His strong, ass-kicking, intelligent, beautiful girlfriend flared to life before his eyes. The sadness still present in her eyes but seemed to lessen. 

“Thank you, though,” she whispered, leaning to meet his lips in a chaste kiss. “It’s nice to know that I’ve got Starling City’s top hero on my side. I mean we both totally know you’d be lost without me.” 

While she couldn’t see it fully, her words and smile not quite reaching her eyes just yet, this was only a hiccup. A pit stop. It was another one of those experiences that only continued to make her even more amazing.

“Without a doubt.” Oliver smiled before pulling her closer to his side and letting his lips graze across her forehead. “That’s my girl.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for your kind words and kudos! I'm glad this universe is enjoyable for those of you who have been reading. I want to apologize for any grammatical errors you may find, I really tried to catch any. 
> 
> Part two is slightly more angsty and was incredibly difficult to write. I wanted to handle the meet-up respectfully and honestly, and I hope I have done it justice. 
> 
> As a reminder, this universe started before a lot of canon events in the back half of the season, so Verdant is still Thea's club.

~~~~~

“You’re fidgeting.” Oliver couldn’t help but note as he looked over at Felicity. 

The glare he received made him put both hands up in surrender before reaching for his cup of coffee. Coffee had been her idea, a quick out, she told him, if things went south. She also said that if they arrived early it would help ease her nerves. 

He didn’t believe her. She would be nervous if they arrived on time, an hour before, or late. She was allowed to be nervous, but she refused to believe him. Yet ever since they arrived she only seemed to become more anxious. 

Her leg continued to vibrate beneath the table, causing the liquid in their mugs to tremble with the tiny seismic earthquake she was causing. While she shook the table she tapped in time with her brightly colored nails. Green today. 

When he asked why the change of color – she had been working her through the yellow, orange, red family this week – she ducked her head and told him she needed some extra courage. 

Their car ride to the café had been quiet as she proceeded to change the radio station every thirty to sixty seconds until finally turning it off. He had taken her hand and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles in a slow, tender act of familiarity, before holding her hand tight to his chest. 

He hadn’t missed the smile that formed across her lips. 

She seemed to have calmed slightly after that, letting the silence of the car consume them as she let her head rest against the back of the seat. Once they reached the coffee shop, however, her anxiety became renewed. 

He had asked her if she was sure she wanted to do this in order to give her an out before he moved to open his door. She only nodded her head and took a breath. 

The wait in the coffee shop flew by, even though she hadn’t seemed interested in talking. Even though the din of customers milling in and out, having casual conversations about their Friday nights, and laughing about personal anecdotes seemed to make the atmosphere bright and lively, their table was quiet. 

The gentle vibrations of his cell phone startled them both, Felicity more so, as it sprung to life on the stable beside his cup of coffee. Thea’s name and picture flashing bright and brilliant on the screen. 

“You should take that,” she murmured beside him.

Oliver only shook his head before putting on his best supportive, smile. There was only one person and thing he wanted to focus on right now, and that was her. 

“Seriously, Oliver,” Felicity mirrored his smile. “I’m fine and we have like, twenty minutes until he shows up.” 

Oliver looked down at the still vibrating phone. 

“Your sister is important, too.” Felicity encouraged, her voice light with mention of Thea. 

Oliver shook his head, fully aware at how much control this magnificent woman had over him. He should feel the slightest bit disturbed at how far he was willing to go to make her happy, scared at the power she wielded with the slightest tip of her lips. Instead he only felt at peace. 

“I’ll be right back, I promise.” He told her with a quick kiss to her cheek. 

“I sure hope so, you’re my ride.” He caught the wink and the lift of her lips. If only this afternoon would hold the promise of more light hearted moments than what he was sure to come. 

Without waiting for Thea to hang up and start calling again, he lifted his phone to his ear while walking towards an alcove in the back of the café. 

“Ollie, I know I promised I wouldn’t call but it’s been an hour since you left.” His sister’s voice, agitated and on edge, sounded off before he could greet her. “How is it going?” 

“Thea,” Oliver felt the frustration he was holding back begin to itch beneath his skin again. “He’s not here yet.” 

He couldn’t let Felicity know how anxious he was at the prospect of meeting her father. She had enough to worry about without knowing how on edge this meeting made him feel. Something about the situation seemed off to him and he couldn’t shake it. 

Diggle assured him it was due to how protective Oliver was of Felicity. While this man didn’t serve as a physical threat to her, he had hurt her in the past, and was currently putting her through the emotional gambit with only a single phone call. 

“He’s not there?” Thea drawled out, slow and steady. “Where is he?” 

Thea had grown to care about Felicity a great deal. He was sure she was at home pacing while thinking about her friend and this unsettling experience. Maybe she was planning a girls’ night with wine and ice cream to take her mind off the problem. Of course, if she was, the night would most definitely include Oliver and Diggle. 

Diggle had wanted to be there for their partner, understandably so. When Felicity had told Diggle about the meet up, he had offered his chauffeur services. To both him, and Oliver, this situation was the same as if they were sending her in undercover without back up. Neither liked it. 

Oliver did manage to convince (which hadn’t been that hard) Diggle that hosting a family dinner with Thea, Lyla, and Sara the next day would be a good idea. Oliver had a feeling Felicity would need it after she had a chance to decompress. 

“Ollie, if he stands her up, I swear-“ 

“Thea,” Oliver cut into his sister’s speech. “We’re still twenty minutes early.” 

He heard the silence ring out over the phone before Thea sighed in understanding. “Felicity wanted to be there early.” 

“Yeah.” He nodded in agreement. “I’m not sure it’s helping though.” 

He could almost see Thea nod along in the apartment. “At least she has you there with her.” 

“I’m not sure how good of a help I’m being,” Oliver admitted, for the first time, out loud. “I’m not sure what to say or what to do.” 

“But you’re there, Ollie.” Thea’s voice was strong and reminded him so much of his mother’s in that moment. “That’s what will help.” 

“I just wish I could do something,” he told her with the brief image of his bow and arrow coming to mind. “For all the crap that we’ve been through, mom and dad loved us. And for all the bad they did, they never left us willingly.” 

“Even my psycho, sociopath, dad hasn’t left,” Thea murmured. “Doesn’t make him any less of a liar.” 

“Kind of makes you wonder.” Oliver breathed out. 

When Felicity had first told him of her father he had been confused at how anyone could have left her. To this day he still didn’t know. He knew with one hundred percent certainty that nothing would ever willingly take him away from Felicity Smoak. 

“You should get back to her,” Thea announced, her voice regaining some of its strength. “Tell her to call me when she’s ready and I’ll be first in line with some mint chocolate chip.” 

Oliver chuckled at the imagery of Thea huddled outside of Felicity’s door waiting for them to arrive. He was glad they found each other. 

With a quick goodbye, Oliver returned his phone to his pants pocket. All he wanted to focus on was Felicity and getting her through this meeting. 

He gave a short nod and a small smile to the barista who had smiled through Felicity’s anxious ramble about latte flavors and ‘ _should she try the coconut milk instead of the two percent?_ ’ Not only had she been patient with his overly nervous girlfriend, but she enthusiastically debated two percent versus coconut until Felicity was sold on sticking with regular milk. 

While her having an allergic reaction to coconut was a slim possibility, she told him all while listing off the FDA’s findings on nut-allergy reactions to coconuts (they were rare, but possible), she didn’t want to risk it the same day she re-met her father. 

He had smiled and kissed her forehead, once more grateful for her, before he had led her to the table she was still seated at. 

Oliver’s eyes lifted to meet Felicity’s only to find her eyes glued to the table, her posture rigid, and a man with sandy blonde hair sitting across from her. The man’s back was to him with a defeated slump to his shoulders. 

He couldn’t help but think that Felicity’s father had a similar idea as her – he came early to mentally prepare himself. Too bad Felicity did the same, only earlier. Their plans to prepare themselves backfired, knocking both of them off center. 

He waited until Felicity lifted her gaze, meeting his with a wave of relief. She seemed to plead with him to move towards the table, to save her from this interaction. 

Never one to deny her anything, he moved towards her without a thought. 

“Excuse me,” his manners interrupted the quiet tension of the table. “Sorry, Thea just wanted to know if you wanted ice cream later.” 

He kept his eyes fixed on the man, who now stared at him with a mixture of frustration and something resembling fear. The t-shirt Thea suggested he wore must have been just tight enough to show off his arms. Oliver felt an odd sense of pleasure shoot through him at that knowledge, but he kept his face stoic. 

“Umm,” Felicity paused as Oliver took her smaller hand in his, sitting beside her with a self-confident smile. “This is Oliver.”

“I’m her partner.” He told the man who was now trying to school his features. 

Felicity’s grip tightened in his, the word ' _partner_ ' clearly having its intended effect. 

“Oh you two work together?” Derek Smoak asked as he moved to pick up his own mug of black coffee. 

“We’re together,” Felicity told him, her voice picking up the telltale sign of an oncoming ramble before he could stop her. “Like together, _together_. I mean we’re practically living together. Not that you _needed_ to know anything about my sex life…” Derek coughed on his coffee while Felicity winced. “Why does no one stop me when I do that?” 

Felicity turned to him, a look a panic seeping into her eyes. 

“In short,” Oliver picked up. “We’re in a relationship.” 

Felicity nodded along. “A serious one. Which you probably took away from my word vomit… Which is something I do. When I’m nervous.” 

It was also something he adored about her. In his world of darkness, she brought an ever glowing light. 

“I remember,” her father noted, a soft smile on his lips. “You always used to talk a mile a minute and have such an energy that made it difficult to keep up with.” 

Oliver couldn’t help but imagine a young Felicity tinkering away at a computer, talking about data processing and connectivity. He imagined a glow about her as she played with wire and codes, expelling genius far beyond her years. 

The man across from him laughed at his own memory. “Your mother used chase you around our old garage when it was time for bed, but you’d beg for five more minutes. Staying up to finish your masterpiece was more important.” 

Felicity ducked her head at the thought of making her mother chase her through the house. Oliver could only imagine Donna Smoak flitting about in six inch heels, trying to get Felicity to go to bed. He knew as well as anyone how dedicated Felicity was once she found a project. 

Although something Donna had done must have stuck as meals and sleep were the only things to break her focus … well… not the _only_ things. 

“You should have seen her,” Derek pointed out to Oliver. “All curly, black hair and opinions for miles. I could have listened to her for hours just talking about computers and technology, and her fear of kangaroos would always get thrown in there somewhere.” 

And just like that the moment was over. He felt Felicity tense beside him while her hand squeezed his a little tighter. 

To his credit, Derek must have sensed the shift in mood. Oliver watched as he sat back in his sit, a little straighter with less comfort. 

“So, Oliver.” He met the eyes of her father. “What do you do for a living?” 

Oliver paused, the answer he wanted to give ( _shooting arrows into criminals and non-respectable human trash who leave their wives and daughters_ ) probably wouldn’t have gone over well with Felicity. No matter how uncomfortable she already was. 

“I co-own a business with my sister.” He told him instead. Short and sweet. 

Derek nodded along, but kept his eyes on Felicity. 

The silence from earlier once again overwhelmed their table. Felicity kept her eyes on her abandoned coffee mug while Oliver kept his eyes on the man in front of him. His hand continued to envelope Felicity’s smaller hand, all while refusing to let go. 

“You changed your hair.” Derek spoke up, catching their attention. “It’s pretty.” 

Felicity nodded. “I did it back in college.”

Oliver listened as the two Smoak’s continued to have what could only be considered as the most polite conversation, ever. Neither broached the topic of Derek’s abandonment, and Derek stayed with safe topics like the weather, and what kinds of projects was she working on. 

For fifteen minutes the two proceeded to slow volley questions and answers back and forth until finally Derek looked down at his watch – one of Palmer’s smart watches. 

“We should go.” Felicity spoke up. “Thea’s probably waiting.” 

Oliver nodded, understanding her not wanting to be the one left alone in the café. He didn’t miss, however, the look of disappointment enter Derek’s face as the two began to stand from the table, Derek following suit. 

“Well this was good,” he said with almost too much enthusiasm. “It was great seeing you.” 

“Yeah,” Felicity said with a nod. 

The formality of the exchange was the farthest from a father and daughter that he had ever seen. Both stared at each other, probably wondering what the protocol was for this type of situation. Should they hug? Probably not. Shake hands? 

Felicity gave one more awkward nod before reaching her hand out to shake her father’s. Derek’s eyes became heavy with disappointment before he lightened them up and reached out for her hand. 

When Felicity moved past him and towards the exit, Oliver felt a hand stop on his arm, preventing him from following her out. 

“Oliver, you seem like a good guy.” Derek’s voice was low, almost _territorial_ , as he leaned in close to Oliver. “You seem like the kind of guy who really cares about my daughter.” Oliver turned his head to meet the darkened eyes of the man he had just now met. The itch, the urge to protect, was back. “But I want you to know that if you hurt my daughter...”

Oliver didn’t give him the chance to continue as he pulled his arm out of Derek’s grasp with ease. “With all due respect, _sir_ , I don’t think that scenario, while not probable, is any of your business.” 

Derek stood a little straighter, leaning away from Oliver. 

This time, Oliver was the one to lean in, his voice lowering to that of the long forgotten Hood. “But what _is_ your business is what _I_ will do if you ever hurt Felicity.” 

Without sparing a glance, Oliver moved away from Derek Smoak, and followed Felicity out into the sun.

~~~

 

When he reached her she was leaning against the car, staring at the ground. “You ok?” 

He knew the answer. He knew that if she said ‘yes’ it would be a lie. How could she be ok after such an awkward interaction that lacked any real possibility for closure? 

Even though he knew the answer and thought he was ready for what followed, the site of tears marking their steady path down her cheeks as she lifted her gaze was enough to propel him forward. His arms found their way around her small, shaking form. Her hands clawed at the back of his t-shirt, scrabbling for purchase and holding him tighter in the process. 

He felt her knees begin to give out, as a terrible sob escaped her trembling lips. The sound of her hurt, so raw, was more painful than any sword through the chest. Her agony made his heart ache and his own tears begin to form. 

“I’m here,” he assured her in a whispered tone, holding her tighter to his chest. “I’m here.” 

Her arms held him a little bit tighter as she buried her face in the safety of his chest. Her muffled “thank you” barely making it to his ears, but he heard her anyway. 

He let his lips graze the top of her head, hoping to take some of the pain away, and made a silent promise to never leave her.


End file.
